Mad about Mushrooms . . .

Sharing Hope Jahren's book, Lab Girl

I have recently had the supreme pleasure of reading Hope Jahren's Lab Girl.  What a surprise it was!  I was truly unprepared for the music of her words and for her unforgettable descriptions of the natural and unnatural worlds.  The beauty of her prose and her obvious love of all things charmed me in ways that no other author has done ... ever.  She is a powerful teacher, a person who enlightens, reveals and reassures.

Dear mushroomer, I found myself reading Chapter 3 and then reading it again and then yet again, for it reintroduced fungi to me in a way that heretofore I had not been privy to.  I am forever altered by the clarity of her observation.

 

How the Oregon truffle bends humans to its will

Oregon Public Broadcasting enriches our lives in many different ways, and one of those ways may be the new offering "Superabundant." 

  

Leach Botanical Garden is offering mushroom classes

Every once in a while I pull up Nextdoor just to see what may be on the mind of my neighbors. It certainly came as no surprise to see that someone was looking for a mushroom hunting buddy, after all aren't we all dreaming of morels? The writer stated she was a novice but had been studying all winter! “If anyone wants to go together or lend a hand to this newb I’d love it!” There are certainly a lot of ways to begin your mushroom hunting journey and using Nextdoor was indeed an interesting path for me to encounter.

Beware of yellow-eyed blossoms.

Sure these yellow-eyed blooming grasses look innocent enough. But if you look more closely, you may just find yourself actually staring at the fungus Fusarium xyrophilum which is reported to infect two types of yellow-eyed grasses (X. setigera & X. surinamensis) growing on the savannas of Guyana rather than at an actual blossom.  The Xyris genus counts over 250 species and is widespread throughout much of the world. 

Is there a trickster in the grasses?

Mushrooms are popping up in the most unexpected places!

It’s a little too early here for spring mushrooms but not so for The Peacock Clock’s mushroom. What is that you ask?

Housed in the Pavilion Hall of the State Hermitage Museum, The Peacock Clock is a 10 foot tall structure created by the English jeweler and mechanic James Cox (1723-1800) of gilded bronze and silver. It is comprised of 3 life-size mechanical birds - a peacock, cockerel and owl - that are set into motion by a timepiece which is resting in a slot cut into the cap of a mushroom. The automaton was ordered by Prince Grigory Potemkin as a gift for Empress Catherine the Great and was transported to the Hermitage in 1781 where it resides today.

Currently the clock is set into motion only on Wednesdays. If you can’t make it to the Hermitage that day, check out the following YouTube presentation of the clock in action.  Don’t forget to look for the mushroom growing under the oak with a dragonfly delicately perched on the cap located at the 1:25 minute mark.

YouTube presentation from the State Hermitage Museum

 

 

Morel Hunting 2021 Style

Hats off to the Cascade Mycological Society of Eugene and their recent program featuring Trent Blizzard of www.modern-forager.com.

I watched it on YouTube the other day and was tremendously impressed with the scientific and methodical approach that the charismatic Trent and his wife, Kirsten, have to gathering burn morels, which they define generally as morels that only grow in conifer forests, only in the Western US and only after a fire.

During the course of the 1.5 hour presentation, Trent guided us viewers through different parameters such as directions, elevations, and temperatures that he and his wife have found to be important factors in gathering burn morels. He noted that much of the research and preparation can be done from the convenience of an arm chair, sparing the mushroomer many hours of wandering and hoping in the woodlands.

Yet another Humongous Fungus!

Relaxing for an hour or so on a Sunday morning, with a piping hot cup of cold brewed coffee lovingly tucked in the palm of my hand, is one of my passions, especially if CBS’s Sunday Morning is on the tele.

ASM's annual Agar Art Contest

Please don't scold me - sure, I know that this post really doesn't fit neatly onto the MadAboutMushrooms focus, but we found the contest so amazing that we wanted to share it with you.

We recently became aware of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) annual Agar Art Contest. “What is the world is that?” you ask.  Actually, I have to confess that it was something new for us, too. But, now that I know of this absolutely fascinating event, it’s been pasted to my calendar for viewing in future years.

The intriguing contest was launched in 2015 and merges science with art to engage the public with microbiology and highlight the beauty and diversity of the microbial world according to the ASM’s website. Individual pieces of artwork are submitted to the ASM, all of which have been created using living, growing microbes ‘painted’ on agar.

This year there were 189 entries (including videos, songs, and even a handmade shirt) from 203 artists in 29 different countries and 27 US states. The judges assessed entries based on their creativity, artistry of design, the scientific accuracy of their description, and their accessibility to a general audience.

Kudos to Scott Pavelle for his Bolete Filter and to NAMA for their Virtual Presentations

True, I am always raving about this new world of mushroom programing. And, why not? The abundance of recently introduced and engaging information that we have available is so satisfying and enriching, although it may seem a little overwhelming from time to time.

I personally am quite excited in particular about the virtual programming that NAMA is now offering. For example, Monday’s offering was entitled “Learning about Boletes and the Online Bolete Filter Tool with Scott Pavelle.” Yes, quite a mouthful for a title, but the presentation was outstanding, just what I would have expected from NAMA … and more.

For years, dare I say more than 35 years, I have been an active member of various local mycological societies, and, have wondered what would be the value of joining NAMA. Sure there were the NAMA forays, but not all of us can attend forays. And, sure there was the newsletter. But, last night's program and the follow-up discussion, along with other such recent offerings have convinced me that there is a real and identifiable benefit to NAMA membership. In fact, the opportunity to be a part of this program via Zoom was more than worth the cost of a year’s membership.  I sincerely hope that NAMA will continue to offer such enlightening programs!

The Admirable Bolete, always a delightful find.

Considering Chad Hyatt's The Mushroom Hunter's Kitchen

It wasn't that long ago that I was pleased to participate in a Zoom event with Chef Chad Hyatt of the Bay Area, thanks to the very active Wild Rivers Mushroom Club.  It was an amazingly entertaining session with Chad offering sound advise and concentrating on what he calls "weird" mushrooms. 

In his introduction, Chad promised to steer away from the traditional, old fashioned mushroom recipes that we too often encounter in our cookbook collection.  Instead his goal was to step up to a higher level, away from myth, into the atmosphere of science.  How does something work?  What is going on?

I am sure that my fellow audience members would agree that he did just that as he prepared 4 different "things" pretty much at the same time during his presentation.  Ably assisted by his wife, Rosa (who is from Catalonia where they are "absolutely insane" about mushrooms), Chad detailed the science behind the preparation of the seviche served over boiled sweet potatoes, "creamless" cream of mushroom soup, black trumpet jam, and parfaits with candied mushrooms.

Yum, a tasty, "full meal" served up with great panache in less than a hour and a half!

Oh, I mustn't forget.  You can order Chad's cookbook direct as I did and receive a speedy delivery.  Even in the midst of the holiday shipping rush, I was cooking up a fungal feast from The Mushroom Hunter's Kitchen in time for Christmas dinner!